The Washington critic., 1887-12-12

will be noticed in the stores which are
now so assiduously beguiling the festive
and elusive dollar by means of the gay
and seductive Christmas present.
The shopkcepers say that the season
30 far has been unusually dull. But II is
predicted that the real rush will not be-
gin until after the Governmental pay
day, the l5th.h When were shopkeepers
ever known to admit that business was
good?
r. THIS YEARS TOYS.
The toys displayed this year are un-
usually ingenious and gaudy. The in
genuity expended in devising new games
and new forms of old ones is really Won
derful.
One of the most interesting of these
is called Options" To the childish,
or rather boyish mind--for It is not
probable that the little girls will appre-
ciatc tit will prove very interesting.
1t is modelled after n stock exchange and
will give the boys quite an insight into
the stock market methods, SO that when
want to take Il "ily0r" with the banks
money, they will know all the slang.
The outfit consists of lot of cards, on
which are different quotations for corn,
pork, wheat and similar articles in
which men speculate, and these are
shuflled and drawn to show the fluctua-
tions of the market. Then there are
round checks, bearing various numbers,
3, 10, %, so and 100, used for money.
Each player has so much of each COM
modify and guesses at the fluctuations
of the market and buys and sells ac-
cordingly, the same as on "the street."
Another new game is called messenger
boy. 1t consists of figures representing
the boys who move around on Il board,
the moves being designated by throwing
dice.
Base ball is a somewhat similar game,
except that the various combinations
made by the dice when thrown indicate
the different plays on the ball field.
For instance, u throw of "a means
base hit, &C home run, and so on.
The players have each three throws, al
ternately, and a score is kept as in the
ordinary game, nine innings making a
game.
Circination, or Swinging round the
circle" is another game played with
dice. II is played on a board, in which
are twenty rings of holes and the play
ers move their pieces forward the num-
Der of points shown by the throws of the
dice. The first to get around wins.
A new toy for the children too young
to play games is the '"roboggan Slide"
It consists of gaudily- painted box,
which is loaded up with dolls for pas
sengers and slid down an inclined plain.
There are also a number of new SPELL
ing games, which are not only amusing
but also instructive. There is new ten
pin game in which the ball, instead of
1,,s, I.,A Il
inclined plane, and, after finding u tor
tuotis course between Il lot of metal pins
stuck upright in the board, strikes the
ten pins.
Another gaudy toy which is destined
to catch many youthful eye is train
of cars, with engine and tender, all Of
which can be taken apart. Then there
are ships, the masts, sails, booms and
rigging of which can be taken down and
put in the hold.
Zylo Karta is the unique name of a
unique game invented and recently pro-
duced by Washingtonian. It is q
map of the United States printed on
wood, and is played with lot of little
indicators which, stuck into the holes
In the map at the proper places, show
the capitals Of the various States and
their principal characteristics.
There is new form of the ever pop
ular locomotive toy. 1t is an engine
which, when wound up and placed on
the floor, starts off with rush and n
rattle; a puff of compressed air blows
the whistle, and it runs ahead till il col
ldes with something or runs down. A
steam engine for So cents is something
not seen before. 1t is regular steam
engine, with furnace, boiler, whistle and
all complete, and is fitted to be con-
nected with toy machinery Of any kind.
They are made in Germany. A similar
American-made engine would cost twice
as much.
America cannot compete with Ger.
many in making the kinds of toys which
require much hand work. American
toys are stronger and better, but not
nearly so cheap. Most of the toys made
In this country are those that are turned
out by thousands by machinery and ure
nearly all patented.
SOMETHING FOR THE GIRLS.
All this for the boys.
Now for the little girls. You remember
how you used to hit your wax doll baby
against the table or chair and knock a
piece ont of her pretty, smooth cheek or
her forehead; or how you left her near
ran together in an indistinguishable
mass of wax, or her face cracked all over
till it looked like map; or perhaps you
dropped her and broke her head all to
pieces. Well, that is all over now The
doll you get this Christmas will probably
be one of the new-style bisque dolls that
are just as pretty as wax and will not
melt or crack or break, at least not very
easily. The wax dolls have gone out of
fashion entirely. The bisque dolls cost
little bit more, but are much better
and have almost crowded the wax ones
out of the market. And when you get
your doll remember that it came all the
way from Germany. There are almost
no dolls at all made in this country, but
thousands Of Germans, men and
women, boys and girls, earn their living
making doll-babies for American chill.
dren.
Their dresses are all made and put on
In Germany, too. And the strangest
thing about it is that their dresses are
always in the prevailing STYLE When
ever the styles for children change de.
signs are sent over to Germany and the
dolls dresses are made like the designs
The dolls are always in style. If youi
papa is rich, baseball pitcher, or owns
i've or ten railroads or is an editor,
maybe he will get you doll that can
talk, and say "mamma" and papa" OF
better still, one of the kind that when
you wind it up will stand up and walk
across the room. but if he does it will
probably get broken in few days, and
then it will not be any better than a
common doll. The proper thing now is